Patent 7503977 was granted and assigned to Lam Research on March, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A substrate preparation system includes a proximity head configured to be positioned near a surface of the substrate to deliver a solution to the surface of the substrate. The proximity head includes a plurality of inlets for delivering the solution and a plurality of outlets for removing a portion of the solution from the surface of the substrate. The surface of the substrate maintains a remaining portion of the solution as a coherent film after the proximity head is scanned over the surface of the substrate. The coherent film is configured to be cured. The remaining portion of the solution acts on the surface of the substrate and binds particulates present on the surface of the substrate as the coherent film cures.